God Bless Severin
by taurinbizarre
Summary: Felicity Fox falls for a hopeless doomed and troubled heroin addict with an unspeakable power living in a Mental Institution by the name of Max Severin the two runaways then save the life of a troubled Orel Puppington and take him under their wing from that point on it's all downhill.


**GOD BLESS SEVERIN**

**BY TAURIN BIZARRE**

**CHAPTERS ONE THROUGH FOUR **

**Felicity:**

You may or may not believe what you are about to read in this book, but I assure you that this is complete truth start to finish, cover to cover. Every page in this book is only lined completely stanza after stanza, syllable after syllable every page you turn is complete fact this kind of thing is so common, it all seems to happen so often that it should be nothing, everyone always takes it for granted and missing it completely but of course to the general public it is dismissed as pure and utter fiction, it's just to unreal too be true, it's just too ridiculous and unheard of from everything that we have been taught it is just the work of a writer sitting at his computer pounding on the keyboard relentlessly, during many endless sleepless nights where with each passing second turning to minutes into hours into days and then into months and then into years and then decades anywhere from there it come anywhere close to a century each moment closer to producing their masterwork the fruits of their labor but five-hundred pages is still dismissed as pure fiction and nothing else of any factual value. I can guarantee you that this is absurd in every sense of the word. This is a document based entirely on realities no fantasy here no fiction.

Again, you may believe it to be true; any other way that you may choose to perceive the proceedings here in this book depends entirely on your judgment.

You can ask anyone who is yet to appear in this documentation:

Orel, Clay, Bloberta, Rod, Danielle, Christina, Foxy, Ash, Rat, Kristofferson, Max, Korine, Holly. Literally anyone whose presence has yet to grace this complex, bizarre, yet completely true story and they will tell you the exact same thing, whatever you may take or perceive of this is entirely at your own discretion.

Oh and there is one more thing I must mention here that I almost had forgotten before we go any further:

Max Severin is not human, I know this for sure I am absolutely one-hundred percent certain not a trace of doubt in my mind, he is not one of you. He simply walks among this earth with the humans posing as a mere mortal, posing as anything less than a demigod he is forever in disguise. Max wants you think that he is of the same homo-sapiens, the human race and decent, he wants you to think that he is just one of the same, that there is no supernatural, paranormal or godly otherworldly edge to his existence just your average everyday normal guy, anyone who knows him, TRULY knows him such as myself and those very few, scarce other individuals on this planet do they can all tell you the exact same thing Max Severin is not human.

Well now, we have that part out of the way, so let me start us off here with the very beginning of the story or at least at the point where I became of a part it:

The first glimpse of Max Severin that had caught my eye was very saddening and troubling to say the very least. The weather was gloomy on an overcast day in a small college town known as Corvallis, Oregon on a ten or twenty acre stretch of land that was property to a mental institution for ages seventeen to twenty known as Oak Burrow. It was often that I saw psychotic young men having break downs of the most violent and catastrophic of proportions so why was he was so different from the many others that I has seen throughout the years?

This kid was dressed like some sort of Kurt Cobain type figure out of his time only pudgy and gaunt he was dressed in a very somber fashion, dressed in a big brown coat with faux white fur lining on the inside, a yellow stripped sweater dirty and grimy, torn up Nike sneakers and baggy torn ultra-faded blue jeans that looked decades too old he had the largest saddest lovesick blue eyes it just seemed to draw me in I suppose.

Max was screaming shrill and tormented like a madman tears rolled down his cheeks until they were sore and cracked. He started punching the side of the cottage to which he belonged to in the field behind the building where the grass was far too long, brown, sickly looking and dead. The farmers had an estate behind that twenty foot fence which separated them. He screamed once more held it for at least thirty non interrupted seconds until his voice cracked and until his esophagus and lungs bled. He punched the cottage so hard that his hand had broken the entire bone completely shattered his blood smeared on the side of the building he was bruised, swollen and purple he then collapsed to the ground and rolled up in the fetal position crying himself to sleep. It would be roughly about twenty-two hours before anyone bothered to do anything about it.

Again, it just bears repeating: I've seen this millions and millions of times over the years from many different mental patients so many, many times before and was this one singular instance felt different, why?

I'm just not quite sure, and I don't think I will ever know the exact reasons why or how it just happened. But I watched the hours pass on by while Max was deep in slumber in the fields I believe it was well past midnight at this point and now one bothered to neither check on him or even give second thought passing him by lying there in the dirt. Not the clients, not the staff no one they just kept on walking by as if he was invisible passing him casually without one single word or motion. I sat there behind the cottage still and quiet, I didn't even budge not for one second, I didn't even move or barley even blink it seemed I was sore, tired, exhausted, dehydrated, starving completely but still I just couldn't move not one muscle completely transfixed and glued tight to the ground. Eventually the sun rose up high it would still be eight more hours before he woke up and still no one even cared about his broken hand now bruised purple swollen and infected a boil around his wrist bigger than a hot air balloon, looking like raw hamburger meat the white pus started dripping out through a tiny little cut on the top of the laceration no one saw this as an issue apparently. Now it was around four pm that his eyes started to slowly open I was clear in sight when he regained consciousness I heard the white-suits finally running down the way to tend to his wounds far too late. Before they grabbed him from the ground and took him to his own padded room and gave him his own straitjacket he saw me without a sense of fear knowing exactly what I was I couldn't move still frozen in fright he said to me "You are beautiful" the men in white suits aggressively picked him off of the ground he didn't even fight back and regretfully obliged he smiled at me until he disappeared around the corner. It would be seven more months before Max spoke to anyone again.

Every morning, afternoon and night since then he was all I could ever think about, wherever he might have been at that time, whatever he might have done that day it's all that was ever on my mind. Sometimes I used to frantically pace back and forth in those fields hoping I would run into him again but I never did, praying to god that he was okay, that he was safe and secure. Desperately hoping that the humans would not spot me, the one's dressed head to toe in white suits, you know the ones not inclined to seeing foxes in their true anamorphic form, the ones who are not used to them walking around on two feet wearing clothes, talking aloud, acting just like them living lives much, much similar to theirs but let us not kid ourselves here, no human is used to that, this is where my suspicions of Max's very existence started to appear before me. Was Max human or was he someone wearing an elaborate disguise some sort of shadow walker lurking among society some sort of necromancer casting an absolutely insane, unreal ruse? Could this ever justify my attraction to him?

I still strongly believe that the very notion of a talking animal acting like a human would make them grab pitchforks and torches and chase me out of town Boris Karloff type-fashion I know this sounds paranoid and delusional trust me I do but I just can't help but resort to this line of thinking. Yet Max was not afraid of me in the slightest this just boggled my brain, really it did. It kept me up at night I was questioning my sanity, it was at this point in time around the fourth month that my husband Foxy was tired of my emotional detachment as I stared into outer space and he pretty much gave up on talking to me, my son Ash thought I had lost my mind, he now couldn't have any sort of conversation with me my ability to multitask was completely diminished, it wasn't until the fifth month in that my husband was looking into a divorce.

With Ash's well-being in mind I tried to snap into auto-pilot mode, so the divorce wouldn't take place and yet it did no good. I mean sure it worked for a good week or two but then everyone could just see right through me so in the long run, no it did absolutely nothing.

Keep in mind I didn't even know his name at this precise moment in time it would be another two months before I did.

Every morning it was the same I stood over the kitchen sink looked out of my window at the cottage seeing if Max had even come outside or even stepped out just for a brief moment my son and husband periodically tried to get my attention but still no use. I was at this point questioning my sanity more than ever and more importantly my moral fiber my daily inner-monologue if not all of it at least a good forty-five percent of it went like this:

_I'm attracted to a human for crying out loud am I sick crazy fuck? Have I lost my fucking mind!? He's not even of the same species you demented crazy delusional basket case get a hold of yourself goddamnit girl pull it together! DAMNIT Felicity you're married, you have a kid this is causing a possible divorce but you're still lost in fucking space all of the time every day six months now almost seven that's over half of the year fifteen fortnights FIFTEEN MY GOD! Exactly FIFTEEN FUCKING FORTNIGHTS that long that you have that you've been doing this to yourself you got to be crazy! That's it nope, nope no, no don't argue about it nope really fuck you, okay just no really I mean it no really screw you all you go to hell, no arguing about it you've lost your mind, nope you're gone beyond the point of no return you're going to end up in padded room alongside all of the other sick bastards in a place like this all hope's lost just face it. Moral fiber has gone down the drain; actually no that's an understatement. My remaining moral fiber has been and this is hypothetically speaking of course here but the context is irrelevant of course, but it had been raped sodomized with a hole drilled through its head and dumped in a drainage ditch somewhere along the highway here and as for my sanity well it was raped away as well, a long, long fucking time ago let's not delude ourselves here okay?! Long, long way long fucking gone my sanity is way, way long dead and gone now._

Seven months in I had alienated everyone completely they wouldn't talk to me, I wouldn't talk to them I just couldn't bring myself to say one word without stumbling and choking getting nervous sounding weird and insane so eventually I just decidedly stuck to the good-old "if you stutter just don't speak" rule of thumb.

Seven long months of going out of my mind and it was summer now the sun was bright outside as I did the routinely pacing around the fields and there he was finally there he was at last! There was an all campus event just as there was week from week, time to time and he hadn't changed one single bit he wore the same baggy Generation X era clothing still looking out of his time, his baggy blond hair still hanging down in his eyes covering his face from view watching the game of soccer between the clients uninterested and not amused, a cigarette hanging from his lips a cast on his hand a cup of black coffee despite the fact that it was about three pm in the afternoon he was now eighteen years old. I had waited for this moment for seven months now what should I do? This is what I asked myself at this point well I assume why not go and talk to him? Yet again here I am arguing with myself:

_What a brilliant idea! Yeah of course just go and talk to him in your true form as if nothing is unusual about this be chased off of the field and be subject to potential murder you've seen these relentless bastards those goddamn white-suits their evil heartless methods they use on their patients what makes you think they won't do the same to you if they see you in your true form acting as one of them?! Of course they would THEY WOULD NOT HESITATE FOR A MOMENT okay so Jesus Christ, for crying out loud Felicity don't be so naive don't be so stupid alright just don't, this kid had his whole wrist looking like some sort of creature straight from David Lynch or the X-files or some Hollywood bullshit whatever you wish to call it still, still Felicity if they can leave him like that for almost a good consecutive twenty-four hours without a care in the world those callous pricks then they can do something MUCH, MUCH WORSE to you SO DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT! Now onto Plan B what's an alternative way to go about this which is less probable to leave you stomped in to the ground with one of those nurses steel toe boots? You just have to think here for a second, we need strategy here okay, not some haphazard plan which took absolutely no thought and is absolutely doomed to fail in the most lethal and brutal sense imaginable. _

_Yeah okay sure it's a flawed plan but I mean it has some strategy and logic to it could work you know I just have to-_

_PLAN B MOVE ON, DAMN GIRL CAN YOU BE SO STUBRON! Just think of an alternative! _

_Well okay maybe if I were to sneak up very carefully, you know just prowl around lurk in the corners hide under the bench and then try to get his attention maybe it could work if I just you know crawl around on all fours just as they would be used to seeing me I move as fast as I possibly can dodging when I have to because everyone's distracted anyways and holy crap! They're all playing there game by prison rules it seems facing possible scoliosis or maybe a fractured spine god they're just murdering each other out there so vicious I mean look at them they're playing this game with such homicidal dedication should I be scared shitless or should I be admiring them I can't really tell for sure I mean-_

_PLAN B FOCUS FELICITY, JUST FOCUS they're all locked inside of an asylum they are mental patients of the state of course they're going to play like vicious maniacs this shouldn't come of a surprise but just FOCUS just FOCUS HERE _

_F-O-C-U-S FOCUS GODDAMNIT it's in YOUR VOCABULARY SO JUST APPLY IT now, you've been waiting for this day for months on end now so don't blow it okay? Just don't blow it!_

_Right okay sure, makes sense understandable. Right waiting a long time don't blow it so As I was saying before I got distracted I'm thinking this might be a bit tricky but I mean the only way I would really stand out like a sore thumb is if I am of course on two-feet I could catch a glimpse from at least one person it would start a chain reaction of epic proportions I could end up dead and so can everyone else in my community secret would be out obviously this kid is an exception, but if I could just dart over to the bench so fast that they wouldn't even notice or really be able to make out my yellow dress it will be like just a blur that barley would be noticeable on the radar it really could work. Just duck out of sight when necessary hide behind certain objects that would be obscured from their vision it should be a much easier and safer route to take. _

_Okay not bad, I can see that good downside here is the chance that someone could spot you but really it doesn't matter what way you decide to go about it being spotted is always going to be an inevitable risk, this is going to be an unavoidable any other way._

_Okay well I could reduce the probability of this risk greatly if I just find a part of the campus that is the least vacant right now preferably the west side of the campus where the administrations building is it's Friday and the building is completely shut down until Sunday however the janitors sometimes lurk around this building occasionally someone patrols it but this building is the very least of their worries because not only is it closed but it gives me clear line of sight to beneath the bench but everyone is in the central area of the campus right now obsessed with this game to the largest extreme possible and this kid is just sitting here on the bench which is not tilted at any angle and is a good five feet away just go around the roundabout way and go the distance. It's nearly impossible for anyone to notice me. _

_See! I knew you had it in you, that wasn't so hard was it? But seriously you do really have quite the eye for detail I'm not going to deny that nor am I going to deny that formidable cunning that was just insane right there I'm not going to lie that was unreal right there._

_I'm a fox it's in my nature._

_There we go that's the spirit! Now make it happen._

So after a few deep long drawn out breathes prepping myself for this because I was nervous to an almost suicidal extent I felt as if I was going to collapse just because of the seven months it took for me to get to this moment the weight of the world on my shoulders I really didn't want to screw this up.

So I jolted quickly to the administration building hiding behind a trash can sitting by the curb and hid behind there for a brief moment back turned to the matted metal casing chaining it to the sidewalk in case anybody were to go rouge at any given moment and throw it through the windows starting a campus wide riot. It may sound like a great absolutely gross over-exaggeration but believe me I've seen it happen on at least sixty different occasions. The place was near burnt to the ground one time the cottages were on fire, stray objects any kind imaginable used as weapons, shields from pieces of burning debris or scrap metal, not enough white suits to contain enough people their defense and support system absolutely and completely compromised hell, it wasn't so much compromised as it was smashed to oblivion as a group of kids had forks sticking out of their eyes, or abdomen or really any other place on their bodies blood filling up in their mouths, teeth grinded into a fine pixie dust like powder fire crews trying just to put out the fires but failing miserably I'm not kidding it was pure hell on earth, this is no exaggeration no hyperbole this was something I had actually witnessed with my two eyes time and time again.

Hiding behind the trash can this was on my mind, oh god was it scary but I had to let this go and reach Max it had to happen no two-ways about there was no in-between either I did or I didn't black and white, cut and dry it was as simple as that. So I narrowed my eyes getting a better glance ahead at the bench and once I could get it clear in my sights I looked around side to side double checking for any sight of humans most specifically the white coats, triple checking once again still leaning behind the trash can peeking my head around the corner and once it was safe I jolted away and under the bench as if the skies were falling to the ground my heart was beating so fast my head pounding like a thousand jackhammers the fear of being spotted still was there lessened? Yes completely gone? No, like hell it was gone no it stuck with me as the grass was becoming one big blur flashing and fading out the faded brown bench was only at arm's reach and I scurried under that bench and balled up tight hiding the accomplishment made, seven months in the making and here I am under his feet. Looking at his torn ratty sneakers as he just sat calm and absolutely, ungodly still smoking endless cigarettes, stubbing them out only to oh-so-quickly light another and to wash it down with another swig of black coffee.

It stayed like this for a few long minutes as the homicidal game of soccer not even attended to by any adults who seemed to just be watching somewhat amused at their pain and injuries or maybe this was just me. Sometimes my biased line of thinking lifts up into full swing time to time. That game however was picking up break-neck pace, no pun intended and there would be no intention behind that pun in the first place because that pun was really that bad, as in stupid and pretty cheesy and it was actually in very poor taste if you think about it so really no intent there. But I was just watching this game and observing those amused expressions on the white-coat's faces thinking dear god, are these people complete and utter sadists for watching on the sidelines amused and somewhat mesmerized just letting this happen? For abandoning some kid who was swollen bad and oozing out of boils near the size of pot-bellied pigs for hours on end? I just had to wonder, I just had to ask myself.

Max lit another cigarette I lurk closer to him feeling uneasy and near sick to my stomach I heard him chuckle lightheartedly he says with such a breezy and soft friendly tone,

"I know that you're under there and you don't need to hide from me. I still think that you are absolutely stunning and beautiful, nothing has changed. I just wondered when you came back." His voice was the perfect mixture of a tough-guy and some humble harmless little church mouse, deep and rich, totally enigmatic yet at the same time soft, sensitive and sincere. I couldn't describe it in any way close to the actual heart of it all you just have to hear his voice for yourself It had been this way before maybe I just didn't notice it like I had at this moment, maybe it's because it's been so long who knows? I mean it could really be a number of things a very immense variety of things.

I craned my head out just a little bit from under the bench ridden with anxiety "If they saw me in my true form they would kill me."

To which he replied casually "I wouldn't let them."

"How can you assure that you could keep me completely safe from those sadistic nurses that make the guards at Auschwitz look absolutely pussy-whipped?"

"I've done it before with many, many different people that I had promised to protect and not a single minor little surface-level cut was left on them at all and I assure you that no harm will come to you whatsoever"

I saw him moving his broken in hand in positions, forms and variations unimaginable at the most obtuse angles with that cast wrapped around the knuckles without one single grimace or sign of pain at all blew my mind seeing as how the boil has grown even larger and was showing under the gauze even seven months later.

He had these unreasonable almost perverse maybe even earthshaking cliché, cliché I know but just bear with me here when I use these words in reference to his powers of persuasion as he arose from the bench. I couldn't help but arise from under the bench either and I just wrapped my arm around his shoulder as he walked me through the field on two feet my true form showing completely I started to shutter fearfully scared of what someone who saw me like this, or more importantly if they saw me exactly like them what they would do to me but it didn't even occur. He just looked around casually in all directions at everyone when they even started to turn their heads and stare at me nothing special about his expression just plain and normal as ever.

Whenever I started to tremble he subtly pulled me in closer to him just slightly I stopped shaking completely

Every time I swear to GOD every SINGLE TIME and trust me I have a good reason to use such enthusiasm about it here because it was the craziest thing I swear it really was because it didn't matter what anyone saw he could just nod in their direction and make them forget about it in a heartbeat and go back to what they were doing, minding their own business as if they saw nothing and NOTHING had HAPPENED AT ALL!

A smile came to his face still sweet but somewhat smug blond hair still hiding his face from view. I couldn't help but smile to it was as if I had turned completely indistinguishable and off the grid completely as I felt my fear vanish. He has the most infectious smile ever my word he could make me smile at any moment.

At this time he brushed his hair back and still everything was the same as before I stood up on my feet in plain sight:

The Kids still played their blood sport soccer game in the most unorthodox method murder-the-opponent-and-beat-him-senseless-until-h e-goes-blind-permanently-Parylized-head-to-toe-Chr istopher Reeve-Style still with their fierce homicidal rage and dedication so great dedication so intense that you can hear their bones crushing and snapping from a mile away nothing had changed.

The white-suits watched the game not even giving a second thought whenever they turned their heads, nothing had happened they still watched the game enjoying it as their own daily dose of sick, twisted entertainment at other's tragic misfortune, you can still see them sneakily take Corn-Nuts and crunch them in between their sharp fiendish teeth as a snack during the game, nothing had changed.

Every time someone had passed by right in front of us all that Max had to do was nod in his direction you could feel some sort of very slight and almost unnoticeable surge of energy flying through the air if you really had focused hard enough at the time however it was there but still hiding from me, with that nod what seemed like the superintendent of the place some fat old woman dressed in snazzy blue suit ugly, mean and tough enough to be compared to on the same exaggerated level as Trunchbull standards someone one who could throw some kid by the pigtails over a twenty-foot high fence in one single throw came walking past us I was could feel the fear again coursing through my veins just enough to kill me and send me into an electric chair like fit when I saw that evil stare but still when Max smiled at her kind and friendly her evil glare vanished completely she smiled friendly and waved at me as if I was actually human it was the most insane part of it.

We finally made it to the front doors it was as if everything was in slow motion but it was just so unreal and amazing, when he walked me through the doors his smile became smug and overconfident everyone who had once stared at us at first sight with an evil murderous glare suddenly their sick expressions turned into friendly smiles waving at us and even saying "Hi" to us at which point I didn't hesitate to reply with a simple "hello" right back at them all of these people who were convicted murders for all I knew actually were softened up just with his simple nod, we walked up the stairs and to his room at which point I asked him his name he gently replied,

"Max, Max Severin and you are?"

"Felicity, pleased to meet you." I smile right back at him feeling comfortable now for the strangest reason not a worry in mind.

"It really is a pleasure Felicity" He said with a romantic and seductive yet gentle tone.

Once he opened the door I stepped into a somewhat baron room that seemed typical for a mental institution just a bed, a dresser, a desk. That's about it despite a few scattered posters slightly torn and hastily tacked to the wall with push pins on the walls for Nine Inch Nails and pictures of Elliott Smith and his band Heatmiser hanging on the walls. There were countless amounts of ashtrays filled to the brim with Marlboro Red 100's and empty cartons and packs of cigarettes lining the floors like cat litter it seemed spilling onto the floor resting on his desk and dresser ashes tarnished the floor and walls but just a slight smudge. There were so many cups of coffee at least hundreds of them half full of near empty just lying around.

Under his bed I saw hidden from view copious amounts of alcohol of many different kinds and assortments anything from Jack Daniels to Budweiser. I saw a medium sized bong with half a bowl still tucked inside he would later tell me that it was some sort of Purple Kush that he bought two or three dubs of at a time overnight mailed from his dealer in California top quality weed that costs over seven-hundred just for an ounce. He went onto to tell me that the crystals, leaves, seeds and stems were all completely purple he even showed me a tiny little crop of it in his hand at one point in time or another, the green was almost translucent because the purple shined so bright off of the wall like diamonds for the time. Looking at was like spun glass in sore eyes, for the time being however I decided not to say anything about it however and just let it go, figured it was so typical for someone his age to be smoking pot and drinking to say that I had never done something like this when I was his age would be the biggest lie and hypocritical statement possibly imaginable, however for me it was a mixture of recreation, social aspects and of course rebellion.

However for Max it was far more severe and tragic in five months' time he would later go onto to tell me of the dirty habits and vices of which he has picked up and the troubling reasons, motives and justifications.

But for the time being he didn't breathe a word of it, and likewise for the time being telling this story I won't elaborate any further but guaranteed in due time I will later explain everything don't you bother fretting about that now, it is irrelevant at this precise moment.

So now then…

It was a dingy, eerie little room in the nuthouse with iron bars surrounding the Plexiglas windows and small pinstripes patterns on the windows still somewhat soothing despite all of this I ask him "So Max why are you living in an asylum?"

He unwraps the cast on his hand with such ease he kindly returns with "Well because Felicity I tried to kill myself. One day I came home from school filled the bathtub up with warm water, grabbed a craft knife from the kitchen drawer and slit my wrists. I was dead for five minutes before they revived me."

"Oh God, I'm sorry to hear that!" I stammer back.

"No worries, what's done is done there isn't any sense worrying about it. It's not like anyone's lives are truly perfect anyways everyone gets a little bit of static here and there right? Besides it's not like you did anything wrong no need to be sorry" he pulls out a miniature red lighter lights up another cigarette still so blasé.

"Well why did you do it?"

He exhales after a big long drag and answers "Let's just say that my dad, he's not the greatest person alive. He's a real asshole actually let's just put it like that. Every day he came home beat his wife, drunk off of his ass and told me that I was worthless, just a scumbag pounding beers and beating on women on top of it all while treating his kids like shit, I didn't want to believe I was his son I didn't want to deal with his beatings anymore so I made a point to just kill myself over it the note explained everything."

Still so candid and calm about his suicide attempt and his abusive piece of shit father this it was insane!

He sits down on his bed and sits down resting beside him wrapping my arm around him I murmur back

"You make it sound like nothing."

"Well it is nothing, you know I mean past is the past it's nothing now. Moot point you know?"

"Yeah, I suppose so…" I sigh heavily feeling my heart rate return right back to normal safe in his arms and in his room just his mellowness and warm attitude calmed right down but still I had to ask one thing:

"Max?"

He smiles sweet and fragile "Yeah Felicity?"

"How did you do that out there with all of those people surrounding us?"

"What'd you mean Felicity?" He takes another drag of his cigarette cool and at ease.

"Well I mean you just made those people turn away and back to what they were doing as if I wasn't even there and everyone seemed just so uncaring at the fact that I am of course a fox, not even of the same species walking around just like you humans would and obviously no one is used to seeing this, so how did you give a nod to these people and have him just turn away?"

He chortles just a little bit more warmhearted grinning ear to ear and he says

"Well I kind of have this way some sort of power with people that most don't really possess I don't really use it that often only from time to time and sometimes. It's sort of newly developed I haven't had it for long, I mean I don't even know how I got them in the first place, I don't but it just happened or so it seems but I only use it when necessary, if that makes any sense at all. I mean I know that I sound really kind of stupid right now I think I should just uhh…"

He apprehensively scans the room back and forth resting his head in his hands anxiously shaking it back and forth his smile has turned nervous grasping for a thought that seemed to be floating away out of his reach and I interrupt him.

I smile back as well gripping him tighter "No, you don't sound stupid at all." He seems a bit relieved and he lifts his head up taking another drag of his cigarette.

"Well okay then but the next thing that I am about to say is going to sound really crazy and maybe even stupid you wouldn't mind if I told you though right?" he says

I stammer a little bit curious what it is yet slightly afraid at the same time "No I wouldn't mind at all."

"Well okay then don't tell anyone else though just between you and me, promise?"

"Promise"

"Alright then, I'm going to use these powers in a few weeks' time once I have completely fine-tuned them I am going to use them to break out of here and I was wondering from the second I saw you all of those months ago I didn't get any chance to but I what I wanted to ask is if you ever came back because I was going to ask you if you wanted to come along with me." His tone shifts suddenly now to innocent and pure the depth is gone completely.

I started with the anxious spazzed out chuckled again and my voice cracked like some sort of tremor

"Why me?"

"I told you, because you're beautiful. And you seem really nice and kind and I don't really want to go alone but I don't have anyone else because they all abandoned me and you, they all turned out to not be what I thought they were and I don't even know you really but it feels somewhat like I have maybe a long, long time ago in another life I know this sounds weird and creepy I do I really do Felicity but I feel so attached to you, and I really do like you."

I didn't even hesitate for a faint moment and I said it "Yes." I was still in disbelief that he would ask me it only happened in my wildest dreams as corny as it may sound but there is no other way to put it and I said exactly what I had wanted to only in those dreams and that was yes. His smile grew even wider and he brushed his hair back completely from his eyes and held me close to him I saw his whole face for the first time that pale baby face so sugary and adorable yet handsome and somewhat masculine at the same time. It was irresistible and I couldn't control myself not one bit it was of no use seven months I have only been dreaming of this moment, I saw the golden and mythical opportunity long awaited arising before me and from this point on we had started undressing each other, kissing passionately and what happened from there on out and the three weeks that followed is apparent you don't need any more details of our sex life it's just so blatantly obvious what was going on between us and what was to be from the second I had put this pen to paper. Nor would I ever care or ever feel comfortable to indulge you in this aspect so just forget about it! If Max wants to fill you in on the unnecessary blanks here then so be it but if don't expect me to the same.

Now,

Max's plan for escape was simple: use these newly developed powers and con the staff into handing him his walking papers and anything that they had in their wallets, anything that he might need, we then pick me up by the tree of course out of view from Foxy Then head down to the station in the center of downtown Corvallis to catch the loop bus to Albany, Oregon around 11:35 at night to the last bus runs at 1:48 am in the morning the bus at 11:35 is ideal to then head down to Albany at the right time and have Max con our way into a boarding house known as The Lyle House located in the historical district of Downtown Albany on 7th and Elm where the rent was 576.13 Per Month he would also con random passerby's on the streets and tellers at the banks and clerks convenience stores or any source really that would liable to disperse large amounts of money that he could find in order to pay the rent. If money was scarce for any reason whatsoever that month he would just simply convince the banker to give us a pass this was a last resort doing it as little as possible knowing that it could back on him and he could be charged for fraud and get us both thrown into jail. His logic being that it was easier to con individuals in small waves with the maximum being perhaps three or five at a time, however to con the IRS was a much harder and arduous task, as we would be taking on the entire US Government the remaining people around us not under his trance could spot this and head to the authorities right away if they wanted to and inform the banker of his mistake Throwing cold hard cash onto the counter was obviously a much safer method nobody knew the means that he had earned that money unless of course the person Max put under his trance to get the money said something to someone else obviously no one else would see anything suspicious where someone asks a stranger for money and having them cordially oblige it happens every single day anywhere in the world nothing out of the ordinary to the people not under his spell observing us perfect stranger witnessing an everyday situation not a big deal. We would be in the clear however opposed to the many thousands of millions of possible billions people that he would have to go through working for the government and many other corporations they would surely find us out and lock us up. In order to get us out safely the waves of people must be very, very small and the people not under Max's spell must be random people on the street observing a mundane regular everyday action.

Knowing it would come back to us when conning more than just small waves of people in the most ordinary of ways is why Max opted against conning Trunchbull's car the chances of conning a sizable group of police into thinking that this car wasn't stolen with the proper insurance, license and registration or documentation which he were not in possession of would be hard to pull off and we would be thrown into jail for grand theft auto and we would face the risk of being found out of escaping from Oak Burrow and we faced the risk of being caught with all of the stolen money and goods most likely before we would even reach Albany.

Any sort of time in which we would have to con a large collective of people that were of importance especially to the government and police force Max would opt against this knowing he would face a great risk and put us both in danger, even as someone enabled like no one else on this earth was he still had to know his limits and where to draw the line, he knew very well that nothing in life is without stipulations he had to plan everything out far ahead of time using all of the logic and foresight that he had possessed.

However while Max was fine-tuning his powers by practicing his unnatural and otherworldly charm on everyone and anyone who stood in his path for just a brief second even, how we would survive was the very least of my worries here was the big concern at the time being:

I knew I had some time to prepare, I knew there were some big, delicate personal issues at hand I needed to take care of with so very little time so the prep stage went exactly as follows:

The First Week: the divorce with Foxy was under way I didn't breathe a word of where I was going or with whom, by what means he didn't care the seventh months of near silence and emotional distance he didn't know me anymore so he tried not to cry but it was still inevitable for him not to the feeling was only mutual as we sat on her bed embracing for the last time crying in each other's arms, I'm just trying to be strong thinking of a way to broach the subject and break the news to him this took quite some time.

The Second Week: Filing and singing the papers at the court house with Foxy almost completely numb and almost out of tears feeling liberated yet saddened deeply I couldn't help but feel this pain as well out of tears but I was looking forward to the plans for the future keeping it as quiet as possible, Max was perfecting his powers growing stronger by the day while Foxy and I held each other giving a final and fond farewell still wondering how I should break it to Ash.

The Third Week: I was getting down to the wire running out of time to say the things that I needed to him. Foxy and I sat him down at the kitchen table giving the standard "it didn't work out between us it's not your fault-but-we're-getting-a-divorce-type-thing" trying to hide our sadness but our frowns were showing through tears were still there Foxy was going to be a single father and I was having the nerves about what was in store for Max and I. Ash at this moment was in tears smashing at everything in sight screaming like a maniac as we tried to calm him down.

"FUCK YOU ALL GO TO HELL! I FUCKING HATE YOU PEOPLE YOU CAN'T FUCKING DO THIS IT ISN'T FAIR FUCK OFF AND DIE BOTH OF YOU!" he screamed tears flowing down his face smiling full of teeth clenched tight he slammed the bedroom door shut and proceeded to come out minutes later and tear the entire tree to shreds after we tried to hold him down but he threw every single piece of furniture out of the windows the dining room table was ruined in a matter of seconds he took every bit of the table and used the legs swinging it into the walls banging every little hole into the wall plaster and hung paintings crashing down to the floor smashing the place into extinction glass was lining the floors the walls were knocked down completely in a matter of hours he would JUST NOT stop screaming until everything was absolutely demolished. Foxy's tie was worn out and shirt was wrinkled and torn at the left breast pocket exposing his fur a big claw mark on his chest bloody and gashed open his once so distinctive wry orange fur strewn into tiny fragments nearly falling off of his body he couldn't even see any every breathe he took he was that much closer to passing out cold every step he took closer to dying or so it seemed. Six odd hours later my dress was torn at the stomach just slightly from holding him down I had claw marks all over my face and body, my eyes were black and swollen while Foxy was just as bad if not in much, much worse shape than I was grabbing him by the legs during Ash's grand rampage to end them all still we tried to calm him down but of course it was no use everything we said and did just wasn't enough. Max of course saw me in absolute like this in absolute horror and dismay and screamed out loud,

"JESUS CHRIST FELICITY WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?! GOD HONEY, A-A-ARE YOU OKAY?!"

The crazies arose from their sleep screaming at us to shut up Max later went in for the rebound putting them all under a trance forcing them all to sleep but for a brief moment I simply replied exhausted as Max got his walking papers in order conning the Trunchbull Lady into letting him go and giving us every dime in her pocket.

"Just some personal shit with my family I'll explain it to you later."

We kissed each other for a good long moment nice and deep, tongues going down each other's throats my smile had suddenly reappeared.

"I love you very much Felicity."

"And I love you too very much Max."

Stroking my fur as gently as he always has before of course my tail started wagging feeling so excited at this moment in time wondering what would happen later on that night when the lights were dimmed. I just couldn't wait.

Meanwhile however I had to hold off:

And Trunchbull under Max's trance was very calmed, passive, considerate and actually pleasant to be around. Making small talk acting concerned for my well-being giving the whole "Oh, they grow so fast" speech which seemed pretty contrived

But hey, I'm was not one to bicker she was a bitch when she was not under Max's spell plus now giving me packs and packs of cigarettes out of a carton in her desk acting like a saint.

Meanwhile Max walks up and down the halls putting each and every white-suit under his trance taking every single thing that they owned and every dime in their pockets.

However Foxy lost his mind completely as well and went mute when it was finally over Foxy just turned to me and said with a very short gasping breath

"Six hours, Felicity, six damn hours on end and I still couldn't tell you a thing about what just hit us or what the fuck just happened there is not one word or not one syllable to even fathom what just took place I have no clue how this whole mess got started between us all not a goddamn thing that I can say to describe it and quite honestly I'm starting to question if I even I want to know." He slams the front door shut just trying desperately to cool down and relax. He storms out of the driveway and into the middle of the road just walking away. That is the last time for two and a half decades before I ever saw Foxy again.

I gave him the address of the Lyle House and told him to not tell anyone of it. Ash didn't say one word to me or Foxy for the longest time but I figured as much still wiping tears from his eyes mine were red and swollen from six hours' worth of the one-man-riot so I had no tears left, my remorse was bottomless however. So when I handed him the paper he tore it to shreds and threw it on the floor gave me the finger and said a quiet and sullen,

"Fuck you bitch, get out of my room, and go tell dad he can eat shit and die too."

"I know Ash that you are broken down about me and your dad splitting up we just were heartbroken to tell you and trust me honey it hurts us too. I understand your anger but that doesn't give you the right to treat us this way."

_Felicity goddamnit now you fucked up!_

Oh no!

I'm arguing with MYSELF AGAIN IT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER AGAIN NO, NO NOT NOW PLEASE, PLEASE!

_Oh YES FELICITY NOW, RIGHT NOW!_

No, no no GOD FUCKING NO! FUCK, DAMNIT, SHIT

_Goddamnit Girl fucking contain YOURSELF SHOW A B IT OF TACT FOR THAT LAST STATEMENT YOU MUST BE INSANE ARE YOU GOING OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND?!_

Ash then grits his teeth that bloodthirsty flame comes back to his eyes once again growling with hate and spite the rage has returned.

"You and dad have the right to get a divorce and tell me at the last possible second. You had the right to stay quiet and cut off from everyone else for seven months; dad had the right to grow cold and distant from me. You two have the right to abandon me so I HAVE THE FUCKING RIGHT TO TREAT YOU THIS WAY IN RETURN NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM ALRIGHT?! HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH?! NOW JUST GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY LIFE! "

_OKAY NOW FELICITY LISTEN TO HIM AND LEAVE HIS ROOM _

_What should I SAY!?_

_Oh hmm, well let me think here that's a hard one OH I GOT IT, PREFERABLY I LOVE YOU and NOTHING IS EVER going to CHANGE THAT preferably an APOLOGY you already FUCKED UP WITH THAT LAST STATEMENT NOW SHOW SOME DAMN DECENCY YOU'RE GONNA DO WHAT YOUR GONNA DO SO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND APOLOGIZE and then LEAVE HIS ROOM show SOME fucking RESPECT! THIS ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE GODDAMNIT!_

_I'm forgetting EVERYTHING I KNOW GODDAMN YOU! _

_Yeah OBVIOUSLY that's EXACTLY WHY I AM HERE IN YOUR HEAD TRYING TO HELP YOU SO TAKE MY ADVICE sound simple ENOUGH?!_

_YES IT SOUNDS VERY FUCKING SIMPLE NO JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME FOCUS I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID LIKE THIS ISN'T HARD ENOUGH FOR ME AND FOR EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED!_

Tears came back to my eyes, the supply was bottomless as well as my remorse apparently and Ash hung his head low to the ground brooding and not a word was said until I reached the door sobbing my eyes out choking on my words as he sits his expression has remained the same still angry bitter like a stone.

"I love you Ash that will never change I'm sorry—I am just so sorry about this and- look-honey I-I'm so, so fucking sorry god-just please call me whenever you want I love you-and I can give you the address we can visit sometime okay?"

He didn't say one word just glared me down and I bawled my eyes out until I knew I was once again completely drained of tears just left with my bottomless remorse and pain.

I walked out of the house never to return, it would be a year and half before Ash finally took me up on my offer and came to visit.

Now what happens from here on out is pretty self-explanatory at least for the most part the complete and entire version would take months upon months for me to explain the rest of the details are left to Max and of course Orel to explain, I couldn't ever dream of sitting here giving the whole situation in its entirety that is a collective effort left up not only to me to divulge but it is also a responsibility left up to all of those involved in every which direction but I will give you the abridged version of what followed after the breakout and the runaway:

Made the bus in seconds flat, made it to Albany at about 1:00 am walked thirty blocks through the abandoned streets, arrived at the Lyle house conned our way in, and conned random insomniacs still prowling through the streets robbing them blind of everything they owned or were in ownership of. Making a killing off of swindling perfect strangers, Max's powers grew stronger and stronger as seasons passed by, I told him about what had happened with Ash and Foxy he told me that one day he would return to Oak Burrow and make it all alright, he kept this promise and fulfilled it finally five years later from this point in time, a lot of sex, a lot of late nights, a lot of drinking and endless cigarettes weekend after weekend, occasionally Max would smoke pot and shared just a tad with me on just a few occasions because this is all I would dare to take. More sex, more swindling, the typical life of crime that Max and I were living with such ease and relaxation, content and happiness, over times things got better for me the remorse showed an end somewhere in sight, static included some very non-savory roommates at which point when I expressed discomfort Max cheated them into living on the streets, riches and luxury all of this was expected from you the reader, the judge, the jury you knew this was coming however things took a turn that Max nor I would ever expect.

The turn of events took place in just the span of six short months.

It happened one day when the sun was sinking back down into the horizon and the temperature dropped into icy freezing cold. The snow was white and fluffy around us, Christmas carolers lined the streets, lights shone bright in store windows a big large pine tree was established in the parking lot of Two Peaks mall lit up bright and flamboyant right down the road from where had lived everything was peaceful and perfect, serene and copacetic just as it should've been we couldn't have been happier and It was Christmas Eve 2010. Melancholy Introspective folk music the album Either/Or by Elliott Smith the song Between The Bars was in place of Bing Cosby's White Christmas just the way it should've been at the Lyle House now completely under our domain and trance. Smiling wide putting the star up on the tree, decorating as the roar from the church down the street grew loud and manic almost violent, Max and I had those little voices in our head warning us of impending disaster but we just rolled around on the floor naked and intertwined just as we were at least three of four times a week, with each thrust and moan the screams became a little less noticeable, and of course a little less important, we should've paid more notice to those screaming voices in our heads we knew much, much better, but hey, should've, could've, would've but still no we didn't do one thing about it but this one action of negligence would bring everything crashing down.

Around Six PM that night we were walking hand in hand over the bridge to North Albany heading to Rays to buy a Ham and a few odds and ends for Christmas Dinner, smirks glued to our faces, cigarette hanging from Max's mouth the sun was buried deep into the ground fast asleep but the cars and Salvation Army Bells, cheers were still prominent illuminating the bright lights still hallow and beautiful around us. Halfway across the bridge however there was a short young boy dressed in a red and black flannel shirt, a matching hat with large flaps down to his ears as well as corresponding mittens blond well-kept hair parted to the side, large black innocent eyes, blue jeans and small black miniature boots standing on the edge of the bridge peering into the Willamette River no one stopping by to say one single word or not one action to stop him he looked around him bleakly frowning his expression growing just a bit more twisted and distorted with each fleeting second he simply remarked "Goodbye"

Max and I rushed up just in the nick of time to talk him down barley succeeding in saving his life I might add just as he was stepping down coming to his senses walking with a limp that he said was permanent he told us that he would rather die than go home we told him that everything was going to be okay and then took him out for some hot coco talking about his problems all of the terrible things his evil, abusive, self-absorbed, alcoholic father has said and done to him, his emotionally distant mother, his unruly brother and the hellion that was left behind at his house after a friendship and the typical neighborhood warming dinner gone wrong, the perfect dream girl that got away thanks to that dinner and that soiled friendship as well as the two indigent families, the bullet administered by his own father on the hunting trip gone wrong the reason that he now walks with that limp, the callous and disgusting attitude that his father took to this situation with no remorse or care, he told us about how he started to deny the existence of God, we sat and listened for hours and hours on end with the best intentions saddened and shocked at what we have heard, after which we invited him over for Christmas Dinner he then started to hang out with us whenever he could, however often he felt like, it wasn't long until he started to grow on us, it wasn't long until he started sleeping on the couch on whatever night he refused to spend under the same roof as his father and his joyousness of which he only spoke of, the glee that he always knew before the disillusionment started to resurface once again.

And this was how we met Orel Puppington.

**Orel:**

Before we go to the future context of my story let's start with the past context hopefully this might give you a bit more insight of just how fucked up everything really was to be before we start with the lesser of two evils and despairs:

The day that it happened I didn't want to believe it was true, I hid my head down to the ground, I sat in the corner of the room all tucked away knees drawn to my chest breathing fast and heavy. I tried to block out all unpure, blasphamous thoughts lock them away and hope that they never come back trying to pray for forgiveness I thought to myself "Orel, just snap out of it! You know you're not supposed to think when it comes to God and Faith" the more I repeat this in my head the more I question it, I just tried to hold back my tears while mom was in the kitchen down the hall long gone and dad was sitting somewhere at the bar thinking to himself it all be yesteryear soon or so I suppose. I was left to think to myself, if there really was a god or if he had just abandoned me like everyone else. I could feel Granpa in the room hovering over me, watching me spiral, watching me loose my mind, trying to calm me down screaming and shouting at me to catch my breath I couldn't hear him out I couldn't focus or keep my grip my feet not even planted here in the ground shaking and shuttering I thought about just ending it all with two simple little slices up the arms believe me I did but I couldn't bring myself to do it, he dosen't want to loose me like I had lost him only just a week earlier the father that I never had thinking to hhow would I honor his memory by just throwing it all away. I had to find some way to cope some way to mourn and honor the only man who cared just as he should've while my family was falling apart. While dad was out drinking himself into slow motion while his "fairy-sexuality" or whatever anyone wanted to call it had the flames of hell laping at his heels, while mom cleans and scrubs away repressing every little bit of her pain, while Shapey runs and screams down the halls, Block following close behind the spirit of Grandpa right above me breathing down my shoulder telling me to carry on without him someway somehow. I could've swore him say "you have everything ahead of you Orel, everything" It's just not good enough everything means nothing to me. I don't want anything anything but for you to just come back. Just come back, just wake up but it's no use you're gone at the wake the open casket you know it just wasn't easy to stand. I want to die, I want to bleed out but I promised his lingering ghost still hanging around the room I would find another way to get on by. It took awhile to find it but by the time I did I was dressed all in black, piercings on my lips and nose all over my face hair dark and bushy hanging all in my face, the black nail polish, studs and spikes, combat boots, naievity gone, wide awake gothic flare glowing bright like a dark cloud hanging over everyone's shoulder the beatings from father dearest growing harsher and more violent by the day for every bit of makeup I refuse to take off, over time the pain of Grandpa's death and the scars and bruises started to become standrad I just couldn't care less no, I didn't care anymore not one bit just completely numb thinking to myself that it only went one of two ways anymore, One: I'm through asking for God's forgiveness he's gotta ask for mine and number Two: Orel Puppington is dead.

So now here I am sitting at my desk the classroom full head to the ground everyone's got something to say I have nothing not one word. Waiting for 2:45 to roll around it just never comes soon enough feeling like a century passing on by. My mind slowly decorating I can't even keep focus on the half-hearted lesson I used to find such joy here and everywhere I went. The teacher Mrs. Scultham just droning on her nasley voice used to make me smile for some reason interested in a career that she hates in a life that she wishes she could trade believing this was normal for every teacher and adult to miserable as if there idiotic lectures and beatings were the way of life and the law of the land, Now I would just gladly welcome a disaster to smash this town of Moralton in two, I hope and pray for an airplane to smash through the school engulfinhg us all in flames setting the slate clean, hoping for the rivers to smash through the town washing us all away. I can feel the water filling up in my lungs as I think so very hard and pensivley about it. Suffocating me, pushing me down to the bottom of the water drenched and dying down in the waves painted and erased. A smile is coming to my face twisted and sick I don't even notice it. Mrs. Scultham's shrill scream interrupting my morbid little wet dream.

"Orel!"

Now I'm back to reality out of my comfort zone nails on the chalkboard my day dreams are just so much better than my realities but now I'm back, why would that miserable bitch even bother anymore? But nonetheless this lost cause has his tail between his legs submissive timid and shy the words softly roll from my mouth not the ones I dreamed for however. "Yes Mrs. Scultham?"

"What is your problem huh? Can't pay attention? Can't stay awake am I boring you?"

The class snickers with the exception of just one I can see his face worn and stretched just trying to hold back his anger trying to keep his naievity, Ignorance is bliss anything else is just insanity killing you slowly but surley. He's just trying the best he can sitting right next to me his smiles is fading, blinking on and off sitting right next to me his name is Doughy one of my only remaing friends among one or two other lone exception's still wondering how much more longer anyone will stick around, the snickers grow louder and louder drown them out another instinct but why even bother so for now at this moment in time the simplest reply I could give Mrs. Scultham was "No, you're not boring me I'm sorry I just-" all eyes on me pressure she glares me unamused. I try to remain calm I stumble on my words choking the snickers the comments just eating away at me. But of course as I gasp for air the lipless little thing with the dirty mouth has a response prepaired for me with the sarcastic bite wish I could kill all away only if I could "Are you on drugs Orel?" the snickers grow into pure concetrated laughs, Doughy sits quiet as a stone holding back the anger his smile has now turned into that of a satelite blinking rapidly flem bulding in his throat I look for that clock 2:44 and counting down just a few small mericful seconds left I'm never going to hear the end of this tommorrow when I walk through these doors but in 15 seconds mission accomplished I'm free who cares? So here it goes:

"Fuck you bitch!" She glares her eyes full of fire and rage as everyone seems so surprised that I had just said that a tired man with only a seconds to go. Doughy's sanity is near gone as everyone has their mouths gaping wide open the clock is ticking and the smile returns to my face once again.

"What did you just say?!" She screams, I retort quickly knowing a chance gaurenteed I will get the last word in before the bell blasts overhead "I said fuck you bitch, go fuck yourself."

She opens her mouth but the ringing shoots her down a swarm of toddler apid's run for the door in a frenzy cheering loud throwing their books and pencils in the air coming right on back tommorrow I blend right on in going Doughy and I going unnoticed under the radar. I look back at the fire in her eyes and jolt back under the crowd before she can even catch my devious smile dodging just like a ninja creeping away oh-so-slyly.

The sun shines bright in my eyes as Doughy and I walk right down the road head hanging down again stuck inside my imagination in the angst and pain. Doughy still reeling in shock over that act of so-called bravery.

"What were you thinking, Orel!"

"You know Doughy, I'm not sure exactly how to answer that question. I just don't know what was going through my mind all I know is that I'm just tired of all of this, I just want it all to stop."

Doughy stammers and stutters cowering back "But this isn't going to make it better?"

"How do you figure?"

"Orel, you told her to go fuck herself and called her a bitch, you're never going to hear the end of this aren't you worried about what your dad's going to do or being suspended or anything?"

I give a heavy exauasted sigh as I see my house straight ahead in the distance at the end of the cul-de-sac buring bright with dread an omen or reminder for the worst to come, but wait a second no cars in the driveway no one's home oh thank god I bought myself some time. My reply, my motto for this life I'm not even really living anymore "Nothing I can't handle."

Doughy seems a bit more at ease and complacent his house right on the left. "Oh well okay then if you're sure." He walks to his door waving goodbye "Bye Orel." I wave right on back "Bye."

Walk right on home and once I see the headlights in the distance once I hear Shapey and Blocks screaming once I see the bottle flashing in the sun glaring through the windows the king of the jungle and his usual incompetent ranting mumbling under his breath "lousy dead end stinking dead end job" Mom's emoitonal distance and coldness remicisint of life in an Antarica like hell I know what to do, just slip out quiet through the back gates and sneak past the circles and rings scolding me with the smoldering anger the alienation and torment just creep so gently and slowly ignore the pins and needles I might feel sticking below me through the feet driving slowly into my soul it will all be worth it when I get out becauase I know that nobody's going to be looking once I'm down and out I'll be gone once again it will all be worth it to escape for that ammount of time that I can I will be just like the invisible man because I know no one cares I know that I just don't belong here anymore it's worth it to know that no one is going to come looking for me.

I have my earbuds packed away tight burried deep inside of me listening to The Becoming by Nine Inch Nails at full blast I sing to myself in my usual stupor muttering: _Hiding backwards inside of me I feel unafraid, Annie hold on a little tighter I might just slip away. _Slipping inside of the dream chamber the sun is dying out quickly and still no headlights in the distance. Just Grandpa hanging over me I can't hear a word he's saying I feel his prescence slipping away just as it does time to time perodically I just watch him fade slipping through the cracks in the ceeling, he's coming back down soon but I just can't wait for him to float on down again and sit right beside me I'm here just trying to pass the time just get everything off my mind the best that I can losing myself in the deafening guitar solos Trent Reznor's screams overlaping one another the cacuphony soothing to me strangley enough. Just as my eyes close I can feel myself passing out the sun sinking lower in the skies I started to fade away into the industrial mess of The Downward Spiral, Trent screaming on and on my eyes closing shut everything becoming a blur, I let go of conscienceness and slip away without a sound.

Around six or seven I hear Shapey screaming in my ear and I jolt right awake. I can feel him tugging on my shirt shrieking head spinning around and around. Once he see's that I am back here on earth, once he knows he has my attention once again his screaming subsides. Wondering if tonight he'll talk in complete sentences or if he'll just scream emotionally and mentally stunted, either way I just try to maintain the best that I can.

"What is it, Shappey?" I see his wide eyes staring straight at me here he goes babling why am I not surpised? I can't make out heads or tails of what he's saying, it's always been this way with him he's always been stammering and sluring his words some would go onto say that he was mentally retarded some would go on to say the same about Block. Two illigitamate children who seem to bond just fine The Bastard Child Club dad would go onto call it wondering if he would ever extend the club to three I could be the newest member I shrug it off trying to ignore it, I get up from the couch I smell dinner walk on into the kitchen sit on down at the table late once again.

Mom smiles with her false optimism kicking in wondering for how long, Dad just tries to go right along with mom smiling as if we're all still oblivious to the truth of what's going on in this house. What ever he's doing tonight to mask this bullshit he's off to a terrible start.

"Hey there Marylin Manson how's it hanging?!" Mom scowls slightly finding some way to embaress dad he's just so easy to get down when he's drunk somebody cue the sad violin music for this bastard as if he deserves our fucking sympathy and please just let me fantasize about smashing his face into the table.

"Oh, Clay" She shallowly says as dad downs his highball.

"My Orel you sure showed up late to dinner tonight." Mom tries to hand me a plate with meatloaf on it I just politley try to turn it down.

"No thanks I'm not that hungry." She keeps on swirling it around in the air as if I would change my mind. Not a chance, she see's this and puts it back down Shapey and Block eat their food as if it's their last meal on earth same as every night.

Dad downs his liqour the table his quiet and depressing aside from Shapey and Block devouring twenty pounds of meatloaf nothing was happening but dad just broke the silence with some sort of way to drag me down once again the snickers and laughs Jesus Orel how many gallon's of mascara are you wearing today?" I don't give him the satisfaction to even speak one word, Mom glares him down he's just continuing to laugh bitterly once he catches her glare "What, Bloberta I'm not allowed to have an opinion?" Mom keeps her icy glare "Yes Clay you're allowed to have an opion but if we don't respond it means that no one gives a shit, not that they should to begin with." I sink lower in my seat here we go get ready for the fireworks I got my front row seat my hands gripping to the bottom trying not to kill somebody.

"Oh well thanks for the sympathy! You have never been on my side."

Mom laughs cruelly "Why the fuck would I ever be on your side you're an abusive, self destructive alcoholic why do I owe you any sympathy?"

"Bloberta our son dresses like a faggot! He sits around the house and mopes all day long it's impossible for me not to say something!" Mom has another comeback there endless I'm trying to keep the homicidal rage on the inside.

"So what he's gothic big fucking deal! If you were really concerned about him maybe you wouldn't have shot him in the leg to begin with!"

Clay is near screaming "He got in the way of the animal I was drunk I had no idea what I was doing it's not my fault can we just drop it all ready that happened one year ago just fucking get over it!"

Mom is near shouting her head off Shapey and Block have nothing to say they just sit in the corner eating away.

"Get over it?! Goddamnit will you listen to yourself talk right now? Not only did you shoot your own son in the leg, not only is he walking with a permenant limp. But you still have no remorse for it! You still don't give a a shit you walk around as if everything is fine as if we oughta care for you still you pethetic fuck!"

Now the conflict is taking a right turn off of haha lane headed down straight down south to shitstorm avenue. Just trying to cope an believe e me this is not easy to do.

Clay is about to jump out of his seat.

"I can't believe that I had ever given you the satisfaction of pleasing you every night."

Waiting for the next bomb to drop mom's going to really outdo herself tonight I just have that feeling oh boy is this sure going to be fun!

That sick laughter in her breath hasn't faded yet "Of course you can't, you're too busy thinking about fucking the shit out of Danielle. So before you call you're son a fagot why don't you take a look in the mirror, and while your at it grab you should consider investing in a razor blade so we don't have to put up with this anymore."

"I thought I told you to never bring that shit up ever again!"

Mom has something to else to say screaming her lungs into bloody pulp.

"Oh right, now I remember well my apologies dear, I'm sorry I just couldn't hear all that well with Danielle's cock in your mouth!"

Actually that last one was pretty clever I got to hand it to you mom for that God do I feel so fucked up for even acknowledging this, god if you do exsist forget the apologies I'm going to punch you right in the face.

Clay is now storming up from his seat screaming his lungs out wordlessly smashing holes in the walls heading down to the study for another drink. Mom jolts right on off Shapey, Block and I are here at the table I head right on down to my room Shapey and Block still oblivious lost in their own little worlds it gets me thinking I wish I were mentally retarded just every now and then so I could have my ignorance back stupid happy and numb, but all I know is that I can't stay in this house tonight now the third member of The Bastard Child Club is out for just a while tonight he'll be back later when the king of the jungle and his unlovable counterpart are passed out cold.

I am so glad that we got that out of the way, thank god now here is the future context:

Whenever someone says that Max and Felicity were bad people because of their habits or the way that they lived, namely my father (if you could even call him that, I don't know any more I really, really truly don't) I just wish that I could somehow take them back in time, back to the day that we all met each other, and point at myself standing on the bridge about to jump and end my life and then having those two come up and talk me out of it saving my life, taking me under their wing and caring for me like no one else has and then say to that person, smile smugly as they stand corrected and say "See, what'd I tell you?" maybe then less people would feel the need to judge them without even knowing who they were, but I am sad to say that this is not an option.

Now this also goes without saying of course that they may have saved my life, they may have done the best they could for me, they may have cared for me like no one else has, but I can also safely say that everything that went horribly wrong from thereon afterwards was all of their fault. This has nothing to do with them being bad people or any of this, it really doesn't but no matter how hard they had tried it wasn't good enough apparently.

After they got me down from the ledge Felicity had offered to take me home, I cried back out

"No, I would rather die than go home!" I contemplated getting back on the ledge but Max talked me down once again, Felicity was about to rip out her whiskers any second now tears welding up in her eyes as I throw my leg over the icy stone of the bridge Max turns to her and whispers "It's alright I got this, honey. Okay, just keep clam, okay?" She nods her head and quietly mutters "Okay"

"Hey kid, what's your name?"

"Why do you want to know?" I snap back somewhat hostile.

"I'm just curious, really that's all." His voice was so soft it actually started seeping into me and calming my nerves once again. I actually thought of stepping down from the ledge just for one brief moment and I felt this sort of wave of electricity, you know a surge float through the air as the cars were driving by unaware of us.

"Orel."

He smiles kindly "Well Orel, my name is Max it's good to meet you and this over here is Felicity"

Felicity gives a twisted sad smile she quietly utters "Hi, Orel"

I start choking on my words; tears start to come down from my eyes. "Well it's good to meet you two but I'm not going to be around for much longer so just leave now, and go home trust me its better of that way really."

"You know we're not going to that, Orel." Felicity says tears streaming down her face.

"Well why not?"

"Well because we don't want to see you dead, and whatever's going on we can talk about it we can work it out."

"It's broken beyond repair." I say in a hushed tone stepping down from the ledge once again feeling conflicted knowing sooner or later I would have to go home. Max still keeps his warm smile and attitude.

"Nothing is broken beyond repair Orel, no come down from the ledge and we can all go out and get some coffee or hot chocolate or something and we can all sit down and we can listen to your problems and we can help really it'll be alright we promise.

"Yeah well I have a lot of problems to talk about and I don't want to bore you or trouble you with them so—"

Felicity interrupts hastily "nonsense really, we would love to listen to your problems we just want to help okay? So just come down from the ledge, please we're you're friends alright?"

I then reply in a broken tone feeling so distraught and down and out my mind still racing "Okay, then." I walk up to them stepping off onto the sidewalk wondering if they had noticed my limp and Felicity is still crying but a smile starts to slowly appear, she wipes away her tears, sniffles a little bit and she puts her arm around me lovingly and Max still keeps his friendly, happy smile I fell somewhat comforted.

Max gives me a pat on the back "Alright, you're doing good buddy everything is going to be okay. Everything's going to be just fine we're here to help.

I sputter back "Okay, everything's fine, I guess…"

We walked away and walked two blocks down quiet and still but I just had to break the silence feeling Felicity's paw grow heavy around my shoulder.

"Felicity?"

She replies in a sympathetic tone "Yes, Orel?"

"What are you?"

"I'm a fox" she says it so casually, and I smile just a little bit.

"Wow..."

"Yeah, I know it sounds weird but it's true."

My smile grows a little bit wider as we walked through the three feet of snow that was slowly turning into ice, crunching beneath our feet.

"Well it's not weird really it's just-"

"Just what?" she says heading down Third and Maple in the direction of Zurich Café still completely calm and lucid to get the hot chocolate and work this whole big mess out.

"Impossible" I say getting confused and uneasy. She stumbles for an answer but Max just laughs and beats her to the punch by saying "Trust me Orel, nothing is impossible."

I couldn't help but laugh to, and neither could Felicity. I went on to tell them everything, I told them about being shot in the leg by my own dad last spring on the hunting trip, I told them that was the reason for my limp, I told them how mom said that he doesn't change when he drinks but rather that "It's just his true nature coming out" I told them about my coach Danielle and that the two have been sleeping together, I told them about Last Christmas and how Danielle and Dad were caught together, I told them how mom never did anything to stop whatever dad had to dish out but how she encouraged it instead because she was too distant to anything else, I told them about the time I met Christina and the dinner that went wrong, how we both believed in God in "different ways" and how it was dangerous for us to associate with others who were different and how they all said that Christina and her whole family were going to hell, I told them the way that I felt about Christina, I told them about the beatings and lectures that dad had given me, I told them about how Block was left behind with my brother Shapey because no one cared to do anything about it until it was much too late, I told them about their disorderly chaotic ways and the things that I had to deal with and under the circumstances did a shockingly good job of doing so. I told them about how I had always believed in God and now feeling abandoned by everyone including him I decided life was just not worth living. They mentioned the screaming at the church and I told them it was because during the Christmas sermon earlier that day when Reverend Putty said that "suffering is a great part of God's plan and all that we can do endure" I could feel a rage in my stomach burning through my eyes as I jolted up from the seat wanting to kill the bastard for the first time in my entire life "GOD IS A SADISTIC FUCKING CUNT FUCK ALL OF YOU STUPID IGNORANT MORONS!" the stares were mortified and sickened as I was chased from the church with Dad clenching the crucifix pulled from the walls swinging it like a madman, leading me to jump from the bridge, this is what I must have said wrong as the looks on their faces grew from concerned to disgusted in a matter of seconds with each little detail of my situation that I gave.

After a good number of hours they made it clear that they cared and wanted me to feel free to visit or talk at any hour of everyday, after a good number of days they made it clear that they were both con artists and that Max was a junkie and he also made his powers clear and evident to me the two were sharing every bit of information with me of their tumultuous lives divulging every single disturbing detail, explaining the true nature of their relationship and how it was sexual and for some reason I just did not care and thought no less of them, after a good number of weeks Max and Felicity made it clear that I was like a son to them and that they adored me just as I adored them, my smile started to come back just as the snow started to melt and just as I was practically living with them, sleeping at The Lyle House whenever I couldn't stomach my father or anyone else around me, or whenever the beatings got really too much to bare, I didn't mind the drug addicts in The Lyle House who smoked meth, or shot up heroin because Max could make them leave and sleep under the overpass if I showed one bit of discontent with any of them he also made a point to keep the needles out of my sight and only shoot up when I had left, it was obvious what he was doing but he never even bothered to mention it telling me that "he didn't want me to get dragged down into his nasty habits and he wanted to keep me as far away from it as possible" he gave me shelter and food, kindness and compassion when no one else besides Felicity would so I could honestly care less about what he has done to cope and get by. After a good number of months I never event spent one second at home and was always hanging out with Max and Felicity the joy that I once knew was finally back and god started become clearer and clearer before me at Church I could actually take some faith and confidence in God and I didn't feel too much contempt and resentment. It was still there mind you but it was disappearing little by little. I started to forget about everything over time but still disillusioned and still hating my father not looking him in the eyes no respect for him whatsoever. It was hurting less and I thought it was getting better, the key words there are "I thought" but in hindsight vision I couldn't have been more wrong in my entire fucking life.

Clay:

It's just too goddamn bad Orel won't look me in the eyes anymore because there's this joke that I have just been dying to tell my dearly-beloved-smug-wayward-fuckass-disgrace-littl e-arrogant whiny-pathetic pussy-misfit-fuck up-failure-ingrate-prick of a son and it goes a little something like this, and please feel free to stop me if you've heard this one before but…

One day a lonesome cowboy was prowling alone somewhere in the Arizona desert trotting on his horse through the barren landscape when he spots a dying rattlesnake only moments away from dying and the cowboy picks the rattlesnake up off of the ground and takes it back to his fort and nurses it back to health, and then one day when the cowboy wakes up, rolls his cigarette, grabs his daily cup of coffee the rattlesnake bites him in the throat and the cowboy falls to his knees loosing conciseness the bright light coming down the cowboy says "But I nursed you back to health, I saved your life why the hell did you bite me?" the snake dubiously wags his head back and forth and says "Bitch, I'm a rattlesnake what the fuck did you expect?"

Good one, right?

But all jokes aside for the sake of full disclosure I can admit that I am a misogynistic, immature, pathetic, sick sad, worthless fucking bastard. I'm not proud of it but I won't deny the truth when it comes to this matter. I can safely say that without a shadow of doubt I drink my body weight in Jack Daniel's and Jammerson's every night, afternoon and morning while I wait for Orel to get home just so I can finds some excuse to beat him into fucking oblivion and beyond. I can securely say that a good portion of the time I use the reason that he looks more like a Marilyn Manson impersonator then a real person, looking like he belongs to The Adam's Family rather than what I thought he was supposed to be, what I convinced him that he had to be, what I had beaten into him. It's so fucking clear now that he could give a shit about my beatings or halfhearted lectures anymore, I know that I am proud of shooting that stupid little douchebag in the leg look into my eyes and you will see not a hint of remorse or sorrow if he's too much of a little pussy to shoot an animal but instead bitch and whine about my drinking "You've become a bad person when you drink!" He can go kill himself by putting a noose around his neck and I would sit and smile not one single fuck would be given by me, I really have no compassion or heart too loose I can admit this as well most of the time without a hint of shame, if he can't live up to my standards then tough shit! If he can't do this then I will laugh about ruining and breaking him down for as long as I might live, for the rest of my life stating to myself that I have never been more proud to have fucked him royally over for the rest of my life.

Do I sound heartless? Am I offending you? Do I make you sick? Huh, do I you bleeding heart cunts? Do I disgust you fucking faggots!? Do I?! Well if I do then you can go FUCK yourselves this is how I am it's not like it's any of your fucking concern you high and mighty fuckwads thinking that you are so above me, fuck you go to hell. But for those who agree with me I tip my hat to you good sirs for you realize the importance of having a black little heart and remaining true to it, the importance of being evil and callous is not rocket science, it really isn't, the reasoning behind this for those who don't know is actually pretty simple:

Your kindness and soul will leave you dead in the dirt with your dick in your ass being stepped on, raped and defiled day after day while the heartless that could care less are miles ahead of you still alive and kicking their complete lack of sympathy and compassion will ensure that they would never give a shit or care and with no emotions comes no heartache or sentimental reasons to be held down or left behind we the wicked are light-years ahead.

So when Orel comes home and I beat him relentlessly with my belt or sometimes any random foreign object most times preferably a shovel to the head, only on occasion however every time I give another idiotic halfhearted lecture drunk out of my mind as am every waking moment of everyday something that has been a routine for years and he still acts so surprised so when he fucks up again and he looks me in the eyes so sad, distraught and taken aback tears flowing from his eyes asking "Why are you doing this to me?" I just want to say "Bitch, I'm a rattlesnake what the fuck did you expect?"

This daily routine and way of life was brought to a screeching halt however when that goddamn fucking Max Severin became involved.

The first time I had even heard the name Max Severin it sent a chill up my spine, pretty damn eerie. It sounds like some name that you would hear out of an old exploitation or gory torture porn film from the 1970's that makes you just want to slit your wrists thinking about Armageddon or the Antichrist, Charles Manson and Adolf Hitler all rolled into one; at least this is what it did for me.

Fast asleep in my usual drunken-stupor balled up in the fetal position just having the best wet dream imaginable:

My whore wife was laying in the other bed separated by the wall between us I lose my mind go completely postal by breaking down that corkboard wall and making one simple twist to the neck, dragging Blobberta's dead lifeless unlovable corpse by the hand and down the hall breaking down Orel's door grabbing a shotgun jamming it down his throat as Shappey and Block cried listening to all the pitiful screams smiling sickly happy and carefree, I would stab them repeatedly in the throat laughing like a madman placing their corpses on the lawn, dousing the house in gasoline lighting a match sitting in my chair drinking the last bottle of whiskey as the sirens approached and the flames were rising higher and higher consuming me sending me down to hell just like I deserve smiling wide and carefree laughing like a maniac.

This perfect dream was interrupted with the appearance of a psychotic rat with a stripped sweater red and white dressed in rags on two feet looking like he was dressed in rags his brown khaki's stained worn out yet fitting tight he had a homemade badge that red Beans Security he twirled a knife between his hands smiling evilly I sunk back in my seat and the flames were now devouring me from inside out the sirens grew louder buy my smile disappeared as he lit up a rolled cigarette, he started approaching me getting closer and closer once he was inches from my face I was speechless and he held the switchblade to my throat and I trembled and shook in fear as he tried to slit my throat he whispered in my ear speaking in a broken southern accent "He's watching you."

I stuttered back "Who?"

He said "Max Severin, he's watching you he knows everything and he's got your number. Better wake up before it's too late, Clay, better watch your back"

Before I could ask "Who is Max Severin?" the psychotic rat made on simple cut to my throat spilling every ounce of blood I had to the burning house now disintegrating into a pile of rubble standing over my body smiling disturbed and depraved as the lights started to fade he casually wiped the blood off his blade and took another drag of his cigarette and walked away. I started to regain conciseness woke up screaming in fright broken into a cold dreadful sweat I felt the sense of impending doom and death I swear to God it was the most frightening fucking thing imaginable no one heard my cries for terror fast asleep I would never forget the name Max Severin it would stay with me forever it would haunt me for as however long I would live on this miserable earth made out of piss, shit and fucking lies. I fell back down onto the mattress trying to put what I just seen out of my head but it was no use. When I turned over to my side facing the window I heard a voice in my head that sounded just exactly like that psychotic, ugly fucking rat that I would soon start to become acquainted with and fear so greatly was in my head giving me commands and orders that I had no choice but to follow. He said to me "Check Orel's bedroom" I didn't even argue for some reason or another I was just entranced by this voice feeling powerless as I started slinking down the hallways heavy, drunken footstep following one after another nearly smashing holes in the walls when I finally reached Orel's room opened up the door looked inside only to see his bed completely empty and the window wide open and a bed sheet made into a rope leading out. I looked at the empty room feeling the most overwhelming sense of dread that one possibly could in place of Orel however I saw the rat sitting on his empty unmade bed lighting up yet another rolled cigarette as I started to choke feeling the air in the room completely dissipate into tiny bits and fragments slipping away out of the atmosphere traveling into a no man's land.

"Where is he?"

The rat kept his disquieting smile "He's gone with Max Severin."

"Okay, who THE fuck is Max Severin and WHO the fuck are you AND WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?" I screamed out loud near at the top of my lungs.

The rat still remained calm and unsettling at the same time as if this was all some sort of joke or a game

"My name is Rat, and despite my immense hatred for you and what you put your children through and everything you stand for I'd reckon I'm the closest thing that you have to a friend. And as for Max Severin well, I'd say that he is the only good thing your son has going for him, if only I wasn't sent here to protect you and keep you safe from, if only Max wasn't an unwitting danger to your son, I would be protecting him from you, sad to say it's the other way around completely, because I honestly kind of like the kid to be honest, sad to say that in order to keep your son safe I have to go through you, I would if only Clay you weren't such an important piece to what is about to happen I would kill you no doubt. It's what you deserve. But alas I've been given strict orders to help and not to harm."

"Protect me? You slit my fucking throat open Rat!"

He takes another drag of his cigarette and lies back on the bed "Oh yes, but you must understand Clay I had to wake you up somehow it was just a dream for crying out loud get over yourself! You were obviously having the perfect dream, the perfect vile, putrid masturbatory fantasy of murdering your own wife and children, you sick bastard."

"What is this to you some sort of game?"

"What is life Clay?"

_That Pretentious dumbfuck whatever SMALL MICROSCOPIC shred of respect I may have had for him is now completely and FOREVER lost._

So I laugh sarcastically, as snide as I possibly can and throw this response in the way of that self-important, inbred, hillbilly hick fucking worthless vermin:

"Wow you really went out of your way for that one, didn't you Rat, so deep so philosophical, heavily clichéd and overused beyond all belief, you sound like a pretentious conceited fucking moron but still what a profound statement! Really, really how thought provoking, how insightful how so very, very wise As I haven't heard that pretentious statement a million times before in my life! No but really that one simple sentence will forever change my life, thank you Rat for you have shown me the light! As if I hadn't have already known this you just had to make that one up on a whim thinking that you're saying something relevant as you connect dots job well done Rat, No, no chance in hell, fuck you! Okay, really though all sarcastic comments aside what the fuck are you doing and what the fuck do you want from me!?

He lays down on Orel's bed exasperated on his back puffing his cigarette slowly looking somewhat exasperated he sighs heavily. "Clay I've already told you, I'm here to protect you from Max Severin and make sure that no damage is done to your son, I've told you what I'm here for Clay but you won't listen to me. Instead you choose to taunt me over things that aren't important I told you Clay, what I am here for and you choose to ignore it and drown me out when I give you the reasons why but yet insist that I'm playing a joke on you. This isn't a joke Clay obviously if you spending less time shitting on me and being a stupid fucking asshole and more time listening to me you would understand the situation at hand."

"Fuck you pal, okay fuck you first of all when you go and spew random bullshit bumper sticker life philosophies you deserve to mocked and shit on, you sound fucking ridiculous, not to mention incredibly fucking pompous okay? Second you're a fucking rat with Disney like anamorphic qualities and features and I am obviously drunk to the point of delirium because this isn't possible and third I don't know who the fuck this Max Severin is that you speak of, I've never even heard of him before tonight, and third last but not least everything of which you mention defies any logic and any sense of reality and sounds like a fucking movie okay a complete work of fiction!"

Rat then gets up from the bed and off of his back his cigarette still lit hanging from his mouth as he slinks away cool and tall in a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid style fashion, just like the cool guy from any western you can think of or possibly imagine he rolls his eyes back into his skull annoyed.

"I still made an oath regretfully and resentfully to protect and serve you Clay but obviously this is too much of an in-depth conversation to have at the time so let's try this again later okay, you stupid fuck you damn stupid abusive burnout? Later, we'll talk about this later."

I chase after him objecting trying to keep him around I wasn't done with him yet I screamed back at him "Oh no you don't, hell no you're not going anywhere motherfucker!"

He turns back to me before vanishing into thin air grinning smugly, he gets snarky and vicious his wit biting and cruel "Remember how your father said that you just weren't worth it? Remember how you killed your mom? Remember how he said that you were no son of his for what you've done? Remember the only time you felt close to him is when he beat you down? Your father was a very smart man knowing just how worthless you are. You're just not worth it Clay, he was right and there will be nothing that you can say or do that will change my mind my opinion of will always be this fucking low and abysmal I agree so greatly with your father but nonetheless when you have a job to do, you might as well do it well no matter how much you hate or despise it."

Tears come to my eyes I start to shake even worse impending doom and dread has never felt this fucking near and close my god!

I sputter back with "How do you know?"

Rat grins devilishly once more and says "I know everything Clay."

He then turns into a demonic cloud of pitch black dust and smoldering ashes and flies through the bedroom window into the night, and once again I open my eyes and shoot right back up out of bed screaming relentlessly as the sun has just risen and it's dawn outside, I couldn't breathe or stop jittering that day, nor the next, nor countless weeks and months later, Rat always kept coming back night after night to haunt, Max's ominous name kept ringing in my ears I tried to let it go and carry on but this struggle slowly over time turned into an impossible, nonstop nightmare, the most frightening part of it, is that I wasn't dreaming.

**Rat:**

I am going to keep this short and simple, directly to the point. I don't want to bore or confuse anyone reading this with every single little detail. I am someone who believes in keeping things simple and curt, brutal and down to the nitty-gritty no bullshit, nothing unnecessary or superfluous there is simply no time for it, the way I see it either get to the point and don't pussyfoot around with bullshit or mundane things that don't matter or don't speak at all, if this were the case for everyone maybe there would be more respect and less misunderstanding in the world so here it goes:

I don't want to kill Max Severin; I don't want to kill anyone for that matter if I had to choose however if I had to choose anyone on this planet to snuff out it would be Clay Puppington. The world would be a much better place without him. I am not trying to canonize Max let me make myself perfectly clear when I say I do not wish to canonize anyone, no one is perfect, no one is a saint I know that I sure as hell am not a vision of perfection, no chance, no way.

However I will say that while Max may be far from perfect, being a heroin addict, a doomed junkie a ill-fated conman who has stolen everything he has opposed to earning it this does not mean that he is a bad person. He has given Orel a life of compassion and understanding acting so selflessly to sacrifice himself and keep a young, confused, battered and beaten boy safe from the evils that surround him, keeping Felicity safe and happy doing anything to please her and make her happy never a thought that is selfish and exclusively kept for himself without other's in mind is both admirable and something that humanity has forgotten. Again, I'm not canonizing him; the kid puts needles in his arms and drinks himself into slow motion running away from painful memories, instead of facing them for Christ's sake! Stealing from anyone just to help himself and others get by is wrong and immoral but he still cares so greatly for others in his life and does it all for them. I don't want to take his life but when I am given a job I must perform this task to the best of my abilities.

It's for the greater good, I suppose. There is an ancient prophecy revolving around this reason that has been spoken of for centuries and millenniums lesser known and hidden by the government that would ensure the end of all humanity and mankind, this would be known as the prophecy of the apocalypse starting with the destruction of Albany, Oregon and soon the world as we know it, the earth of which we call home. The date for the end of mankind for which the apocalypse speaks of is October 3rd 2015 and it is the fault of only one singular lone person, and that is Max Severin.

Yes the reason that Max Severin must die is something that he would never object to, the reason that the proudly soulless fucker Clay Puppington must live is as follows and this either may be taken as a prophecy or conspiracy theory invented by the US Government it all just depends on what you may or may not perceive of it but here it goes:

Although Max and Felicity mean Orel no harm and only try to help and almost always succeed in doing so they make many, many mistakes Max especially. His line of thinking is flawed, and his so-called failsafe logic at times collapses completely on itself on the grounds of being not fully based in reality. He is as selfless and sweet as he is naïve and idealistic. He has many abilities that most don't have as you have already been informed as to what they are, however these abilities do not mean that he is as smooth as he would like to imagine or think that he is. Now in exactly as of now ten months, five days, seven hours, eighteen hours and forty-nine seconds he will make a mistake that he would never count on so grave and terrible that it will cost Orel and Felicity their lives and this mistake exists on the grounds of an irate and demented young man working as a waiter at the Zurich Café down on third simply trying to make a living he is twenty-two year old Korine Madison a teen parent with a very young child and wife to support conned out of his entire fifteen-thousand dollar paycheck by Max with many witnesses watching the transaction taking place backing Korine up with iron-clad evidence, who will also seek revenge Korine will take a twelve gauge and arrive at The Lyle House at exactly 2:55 am on the third of October in the year 2015 precisely six months, twelve days, thirteen minutes and thirty-nine seconds following the fateful early Summer afternoon Max cons the landlord of the boarding house to sign the deed over to him and Felicity, and having all of the unsavory residents of the house kicked to the streets and to the curb, conning them into robbing the Stop and Go convenience store ensuring jail time, ridding them all out of their lives for good or so it may have appeared at the time before they realize what had actually happened and later on seek revenge arriving to the house at 2:54 AM including the landlord seeking revenge with a various amount of weapons fresh out of prison the police who have finally caught onto Max's scheme will arrive at the house at exactly 2:52 AM waiting to take Max away in handcuffs Max will desperately try to con them and let him go but it won't work, Orel and Felicity awoken from their sleep will stand to the sidelines watching terrified trying to talk the cops down and stick by Max's side trying to defend him but it will all be a lost, useless, doomed crusade at exactly 2:53 AM the white suits and the Trunchbull type will arrive full intent of getting their money and possessions back finally out of Max's trance they won't leave until they get what they have come for. There will be a standoff and confrontation of epic and disastrous proportions as the many groups of people fight amongst each other, bullets will fly they were meant for Max but everyone will lose sight of the true enemy and the police will call for back up as a riot ensues shortly after 3:04 AM when the many people that Max has conned over the years come back to kill Max but the mass waves of people end up fighting and killing each other turning into a pack of vicious dogs instead. The people come back to Max one by one and the riot will kick into full swing at precisely 3:13 AM by leading to mass riots all over the states and soon all across the globe continent to continent the world will be taken over by a swarm of overwhelming hatred and malice they will lose all humanity and turn rancorous driven only by violence and destruction the end of all human civilization will be complete at exactly 3:37 PM. The prophecy speaks of a young boy, that is destroyed, broken, disillusioned and growing bitter and misanthropic because of the abuse he has to put up with, a little child who fits Orel's description and only takes solace in two people and that is of course two characters who fit the description of Felicity and Max very, very well the little boy is someone who doesn't realize his worth or their true identity and who he really is or what his true origin is, either that or they deny it up and down terrified of what the truth might be, the young boy will have an evil, sociopathic father who fits the description of Clay Puppington exactly who is responsible for a great majority of what went wrong with his son a sins of the father type scenario who's redemption of realizing his own ugliness and evil as something truly terrible and committing self-sacrifice for his son putting his life at steak to carry his own son to safety out of the mess and wreckage and later making amends shortly before dying. Saving his own son's life relies very heavily on this next step and that is a stray bullet fired from Korine's 12 gauge which accidentally is sent into Max's chest killing him instantly when aiming for an innocent bystander who simply stood in his way of safety this bystander is Orel, if Clay doesn't get Orel out of the way in time the bullet would hit Orel in the chest and nothing would be stopped the world would still come to an end by 3:37 PM just as planned no matter what anyone tried to divert it from that moment it would be moot point. Once the true enemy is dead and gone the chaos would end, the mission of revenge and extermination against the source of the problem as intended before everyone lost their way would be the solution and law and order, rhyme and reason would be restored once again everything will slowly return to the normal statuesque and humanity would not tear itself inside out with the true enemy now dead their perception will return to normal and not clouded by this overwhelming hatred.

My job is to make sure that bullet hits Max in the chest and to make sure that Orel is carried to safety and to make sure that Clay redeems himself.

As said I don't want to kill or harm anyone, if I could kill or murder anyone it would be Clay but it has to be Max I don't want to do this, but it seems I have no choice if I want to save humanity. I really have no choice.


End file.
